A sex crime wave is sweeping through Staffordshire with serious sexual offences, including rape, accounting for seven complaints a day to police across the county.
Staffordshire Chief Constable Gareth Morgan revealed the alarming rise in sex crimes as he gave evidence at a home affairs committee meeting on Tuesday, October 24, discussing the future of policing.
He said crimes of that nature had gone up by 65 per cent since 2010, with almost 3,000 incidents reported annually, up from around 1,000 in 2010.
He said: "Rape and serious sexual offences in my force area have gone up 65 per cent since 2010. That's a reflection of the confidence that victims of crime have got to report those crimes, which we should celebrate.
"But my concern is whether I've got the resources available to manage that demand and investigate those crimes in the way in which I would want them to be investigated.
"We were under 1,000 in 2010 and we're closer to 3,000 now. That accounts for seven offences a day in Staffordshire - rape and very serious sexual offences."
Mr Morgan added that around 700 reported cases were incidents which happened more than 12 months ago. He said that he did not believe incidents of child sex exploitation - both historical and current - had plateaued and expressed concerns about the resources available to Staffordshire Police to deal with the problem.
The Chief Constable was joined by Dee Collins from West Yorkshire Police, Dave Thompson from West Midlands Police and Sara Thornton, chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council.
Rape crisis centres across the country say that there are nearly 4,000 calls to helplines every week. Charity, Rape Crisis, has reported that 30 times more children have reported multiple assaults compared to last year. In 2015/16, there were 29 reports, compared to 904 un 2016/17.
Officers at Staffordshire Police have been working hard to see an end to serious sexual offences in the area, conveying the message that 'no really does mean no'. The force has run several campaigns over the years to encourage victims of these crimes to come forward.
Staffordshire Police says pressurising someone to have sex or take part in sexual activity is considered rape and more than two thirds of rapes take place in the home of the victim or the offender.
Anyone that has been affected by these crimes can contact the Sexual Assault Referral Centre for support. Alternatively, Burton-based organisation Sarac, offers support to victims of rape and sexual offences. For more information, visit www.sarac.org.uk or call the confidential helpline on 01283 517185.
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